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Monday, December 15, 2014

Viber adds social games to messaging platform, featuring its own unique characters

Viber, one of the most widely used messaging apps for mobile, has announced it’s releasing a series of social games, ready to further challenge apps such as Line and WeChat. Initially, Viber has three games which will go live in a selection of markets very soon, with a worldwide launch expected to follow in January.

The three games are Viber Candy Mania, Viber Pop, and Wild Luck Casino. All are linked to your Viber account, and connect to leaderboards where scores can be shared, and friends challenged. Messages and notifications related to the games will appear in a dedicated section of the app. The games are free to play, while various items can be purchased in each one, and related virtual gifts will be sold; which is where Viber will make its money.

Viber’s games will make use of its unique characters which users will recognize from its sticker collections. For example, Violet and Legcat both feature in Candy Mania and Viber Pop.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Viber’s founder, Talmon Marco, said it’s not planning to flood its users with hundreds of games, but wants to keep it down to a “small, highly curated selection.” While it has partnered with just two studios at launch, it will sign up other developers in the future.

Viber’s games will be available for Android and iOS, while players in Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, Ukraine, and Belerus will be the first to try them out. A staggered, global launch will follow in January next year. Viber was purchased by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten earlier this year, and boasts on its website it has more than 360 million users in 193 countries around the world.